Guitar Licks

For the inner Viking in all of us!

Keep On Jammin’

David Byrne and Brian Eno played at Toronto’s Massey Hall, on October 30, 2008. These two music giants were on stage together in their glory for all to see! I greatly admire both of these great players, but together they sounded like they fit together like a rubber glove, according to my old high school friend Carl Wilson!

He is a music critic for the Globe and Mail, Slate and other media outlets in Toronto. If you ever get the opportunity to meet Carl, maybe while taking in a show that he is writing about somewhere, ask him what he thought about a song we did together live called “Peanut Butter”!

His article was the only reference that led me to this show. I think his piece in the Globe and Mail described it rather nicely!

David Byrne (Talking Heads), is just fantastic to listen to, especially live! Life During War Time as well as Psycho Killer on Stop Making Sense, is David at his musical best. I LOVE playing Life During War Time on acoustic guitar for my brother, I mainly play what the keyboardist is doing, maybe that’s why so many guitar players are looking at me strangely when I play this with them.

Brian Eno (Roxie Music) simply needs no introduction. Everything he touches turns to musical gold! What else can you say about the guy! Same Old Scene, from Flesh and Blood is the one masterpiece that needs to played at 11 on your volume control! Thanks Ken, Allan and Tony and lets not forget Tim M., for bringing him to my attention, oh about 30 years ago!

I’ve never seen either one of these guys live, that’s my lose. So who out there has seen these troubadour’s live? Are they worth the price of admission?

Keep on Jammin’

The Moog Taurus pedal is an analog synthesizer that is played with your feet. It helps fill out the song your playing with that real church pipe organ/deep base register sound. The best example of this sound is when The Police used this pedal at the beginning of Don’t stand so close to me. This ancient, blast for the past, is precisely what your looking for, if you want that little extra something for your sound!

If you’ve ever seen a church organ up close or in pictures, then you may have a better idea of what this instrument looks like. Hey, if you ever went to someone’s home and they had one of those ‘ol cheezy home organs, then you’d have a good idea as well! The Moog Taurus pedal looks exactly like the pedals at the bottom of these organs. You play it with you feet!

The Moog Taurus Pedal has been around for ages. Bands that have or had them in their musical arsenal are bands like RUSH, YES, Pink Floyd, the Police and many other rock, fusion and metal performers from yesterday, right up to the present day scene!

The thing that got me thinking of this was while playing with CounterPoint the other night. Chris Noto, the best bass player that I have ever had the privilege of playing with, brought it up while taking a break. He said his brother has one and that he’d love to get it from him if he could, and believe you me, this guy REALLY knows what he is talking about. The way this guy plays the bass, if he had one of these things, it would sound like he is playing 3 instruments at once! Just imagine what it could do with your sound.

So check out the links on this page and learn for yourself what this could do for your band’s sound.

Keep on Jammin’

I just walked in the door from the remembrance day celebrations at the East York Civic Centre. It was a beautiful ceremony that I’m sure touched everyone’s heart! There was at least 2000 people in attendance, really nice to see that kind of respect!

East York Cenotaph

It started off by a parade of all our military forces. In attendance were War Veterans(Air, Army and Navy), legion members, Fire, Ambulance and the Police just to name a few! We sang O Canada, followed up by some opening remarks. Then came the Last Post. For someone to say that this song is VERY POWERFUL is not saying enough.

Then came the Lament speech, followed by the Hymn:O Valiant Hearts. Then our local Toronto councilor Janet Davis said a few words. Right in the middle of her speech, 4 yellow coloured Harvard very ancient looking airplanes flew over the cenotaph, nice touch boys! If your into airplanes or your Canadian then you’ve seen these things before! I would loved to have seen a Lancaster there, it’s my second favorite Canadian airplane, my favorite in the Avro Arrow. I don’t know why the damn Diefenbaker Government literally, I mean literally dismantled the life and pride of a county! That is why I’ll NEVER VOTE CONSERVATIVE in my life!!!

Now comes the reading of In Flanders Fields. It was written by a Canadian called Dr. John McCrae (1872-1918) from Guelph Ontario. He was a medic in a field hospital who took a break from sowing up some young solders fresh from a battle and then he penned this beautiful Poem.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

It was read perfectly by Rehanna Ali from D.A. Morrison Middle School. Now it was time for the laying of the wreaths, it was moving to say the least. After this, a song was played by some kids on acoustic guitars with an electric soloing throughout it, nice soloing to boot! The Reverend Alex Bissett recited the Litany for World Peace prayer as well the hymn: O God, Our Help in Ages Past was said.

We then sang God Save the Queen! I haven’t sang that one in many years, so it was great to walk down memory lane with so many fellow Canadians of different strips! They then did the Colour Party Retires and Parade Dismissal. Wow, what an event to experience!

Let us hope and pray that we do not have to put any more names down on another Cenotaph.
May they all rest in peace.

Let us REALLY take time out of our busy schedule on November 11th at 11:00 AM, Remembrance Day, to truly reflect on the ones that we lost both physically and mentally to the wars of yesterday and today.

To all of those with us today or to the ones in the past who have given their lives FOR US ALL We Thank you!

Keep on Livin’ in Peace!